People

39 historical figures and scholars

region:

Alan Knight

Historian, Emeritus Professor of the History of Latin America, Oxford
British
scholarshipMexican Revolutionstate formation

Amado Carrillo Fuentes

Leader, Juárez Cartel 1956–1997
Mexican
cartel leaderorganized crimenarcotrafficking

Anabel Hernández

Investigative journalist, author
Mexican
journalismcartelsSinaloa Cartel

Arturo Guzmán Decena (Z-1)

GAFE deserter, co-founder of Los Zetas 1976–2002
Mexican
GAFEcartelsmilitary

Benjamín Arellano Félix

Leader, Tijuana Cartel 1952–
Mexican
cartel leaderorganized crimenarcotrafficking

Benjamin T. Smith

Historian, Professor of Latin American History at University of Warwick
British
drug historyscholarshipreligionjournalismCatholicism

Carlos A. Pérez Ricart

Political scientist, Associate Professor at CIDE (formerly Oxford)
Mexican
drug historyscholarshipFBNDEAarchival

Carlos H. Waisman

Sociologist, Professor Emeritus at UC San Diego
Argentine-American
UCSDCILASdemocratizationpolitical sociologyscholarship

Carlos Salinas de Gortari

President of Mexico, 1988–1994 1948–
Mexican
PRIneoliberalismNAFTAArticle 27

David A. Shirk

Political scientist, USD professor, director of Justice in Mexico
American
USDborder studiessecurityscholarship

Dawn Paley

Journalist and researcher
Canadian
journalismpolitical economyextractivismdisplacement

Eduardo Galeano

Writer, journalist 1940–2015
Uruguayan
literaturejournalismanti-imperialism

Elaine Carey

Historian, Professor and Dean at Purdue University Fort Wayne
American
drug historyscholarshipgenderwomen drug traffickers

Eric Michael Schantz

Historian, scholar of US-Mexico border history
American
border studiessocial history

Eric Van Young

Historian, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at UC San Diego 1946–2024
American
UCSDcolonial MexicohaciendasMexican independencescholarship

Everard Meade

Historian, TBI director (2014–), USD professor
American
USDmigrationasylumhuman rights

Gabriela Torres-Mazuera

Anthropologist, CIESAS
Mexican
scholarshipanthropologyland tenurelegal fictions

Harry J. Anslinger

First Commissioner, US Federal Bureau of Narcotics (1930–1962) 1892–1975
American
FBNprohibitiondrug policymoral panic

Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano (Z-3, "El Lazca")

GAFE deserter, Los Zetas supreme leader 1974–2012
Mexican
GAFEcartelsmilitary

Ioan Grillo

Journalist, author
British
journalismcartelsorganized crime

Isaac Campos

Historian, Associate Professor of History at University of Cincinnati
American
drug historyscholarshipprohibitionrevisionist

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada García

Co-leader, Sinaloa Cartel 1948–
Mexican
cartel leaderorganized crimenarcotrafficking

Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera

Leader, Sinaloa Cartel 1957–
Mexican
cartel leaderorganized crimenarcotrafficking

Jorge Eliécer Gaitán

Politician, populist leader, lawyer 1903–1948
Colombian
populismassassinationLiberal Party

Lázaro Cárdenas

President of Mexico, 1934–1940 1895–1970
Mexican
PRIRevolutionland reformoil nationalization

Leopoldo Salazar Viniegra

Physician and public health reformer 1898–1957
Mexican
public healthdrug policyharm reductionCárdenas era

Lina Britto

Historian, Associate Professor at Northwestern University
Colombian
drug historyscholarshipmarijuanaColombiacomparative

María Dolores Estévez Zuleta ("Lola la Chata")

Heroin trafficker, Mexico City 1906–1959
Mexican
women traffickersheroinMexico Cityfolklore

Michael Monteón

Historian, Professor Emeritus at UC San Diego
American
UCSDpolitical economylabor historyscholarship

Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo

Drug trafficker, founder of the Guadalajara Cartel 1946–
Mexican
cartelsGuadalajara Cartelorganized crime

Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales (Z-40)

Los Zetas leader after Lazcano 1973–
Mexican
cartelsorganized crime

Nathaniel Morris

Historian and anthropologist of rural Mexico
British
subaltern historypeasant studiesopiumethnohistory

Nazario Moreno González ("El Más Loco")

Leader, La Familia Michoacana / Knights Templar
Mexican
cartel leaderorganized crimenarcotrafficking

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho")

Leader, CJNG 1966–
Mexican
cartel leaderorganized crimenarcotrafficking

Octavio Rodriguez Ferreira

Executive Director, Justice in Mexico (USD)
Mexican
USDorganized crimejustice reformscholarship

Osiel Cárdenas Guillén

Drug trafficker, Gulf Cartel leader 1967–
Mexican
cartelsGulf Cartelorganized crime

Paul Gootenberg

Historian, SUNY Distinguished Professor at Stony Brook University
American
drug historyscholarshipcocaineAndean historycomparative

Peter H. Smith

Political scientist, Simon Bolívar Professor of Latin American Studies at UC San Diego 1940–
American
UCSDCILASpolitical sciencescholarshipUS-Latin America relations

Raúl Prebisch

Economist, first Secretary-General of UNCTAD 1901–1986
Argentine
ECLACstructuralismdevelopment economics